Standouts & washouts among No. 1 draft picks

Updated 10:18 pm, Saturday, June 2, 2012

The Braves did well for themselves in drafting future Hall of Famer Chipper Jones No. 1 overall in 1990.

The Braves did well for themselves in drafting future Hall of Famer Chipper Jones No. 1 overall in 1990.

Photo: AP

Standouts & washouts among No. 1 draft picks

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By the middle of spring training, Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow had scouted all of the top contenders for the No. 1 overall pick in this week's draft. There is no obvious choice, he said, which makes it tough for Houston to find the right player.

“We've got our work cut out for us,” Luhnow said. “You hopefully don't pick 1-1 very often, and when you do, success is defined by drafting and developing a franchise-type player — not just a regular, but somebody you can really build around.”

The Astros have picked 1-1 — first round, first pick — twice before, and each time, their choice fell in the category of more regular than franchise player. Pitcher Floyd Bannister (drafted in 1976) and infielder Phil Nevin (1992) both became All-Stars, but not as Astros.

It would be unfair to label Nevin a bust. He fits better into the group of first draftees who succeeded after leaving the team that picked them, like Rick Monday (chosen by the Athletics in the first draft, in 1965), Mike Moore (Seattle, 1981), Tim Belcher (Minnesota, 1983), Josh Hamilton (Tampa Bay, 1999) and Adrian Gonzalez (Florida, 2000).

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Using Luhnow's definition, here is a look at the 10 best No. 1 picks and the 10 worst.

The best

1. Chipper Jones, Atlanta, 1990: Helped the Braves win a World Series. Won a Most Valuable Player award. Has stayed with Atlanta his entire career and will probably make the Hall of Fame. Good thing they chose him over Todd Van Poppel.

2. Ken Griffey Jr., Seattle, 1987: If franchise player means saving the franchise from leaving town, Griffey fits the definition. He led the Mariners to their first postseason appearances and, with Randy Johnson and Edgar Martinez, made baseball come alive in the Pacific Northwest.

3. Darryl Strawberry, Mets, 1980: For all the attention on what Strawberry could have been, it is easy to forget what he was: a perennial All-Star and a vital member of the 1986 champions. A bonus: When Strawberry left for the Dodgers, the Mets used their compensatory draft pick on the right-hander Bobby Jones, who helped them win their next pennant, in 2000.

4. Joe Mauer, Minnesota, 2001: Like the Braves in 1990, the Twins settled for a local position player instead of a hyped pitcher. In their case, passing on Mark Prior got them a future MVP and three-time batting champion whose presence helped build momentum for the gorgeous Target Field.

5. Alex Rodriguez, Seattle, 1993: He played only five full seasons for the Mariners, but as Rodriguez has said, they got quite a bargain for the $13 million they paid him: a batting title in 1996, a season of 42 home runs and 46 steals in 1998, and three playoff appearances.

6. Darin Erstad, Angels, 1995: The final out of the Angels' only World Series victory settled in Erstad's glove. Two-time All-Star hit .352 in the 2002 postseason and won three Gold Gloves.

7. Harold Baines, Chicago White Sox, 1977: Bill Veeck, a Hall of Fame White Sox owner, saw Baines as a Little Leaguer in Maryland and recommended him to scouts a few years later. A retired number on the outfield wall in Chicago validates his intuition.

8. Pat Burrell, Philadelphia, 1998: Burrell's last hit as a Phillie was his most important, a double to spark the go-ahead rally in the clinching game of the 2008 World Series. Only three players in club history ever hit more home runs.

9. David Price, Tampa Bay, 2007: Price has not signed a long-term deal, so his stay with the Rays might be brief. But he was on the mound when the team clinched its only pennant, in 2008, and his quick development has helped the Rays reach the playoffs twice more.

10. Justin Upton, Arizona, 2005: The recent top picks by Washington — Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper — should be on this list before long. For now, Upton belongs. At 24, he has two All-Star Games and Arizona has won two division titles.

The busts

1. Matt Bush, San Diego, 2004: Bush, drafted as a shortstop one spot ahead of Justin Verlander, never played above Class A for the Padres. He made progress last year as a Class AA reliever for Tampa Bay, but was sitting in a Florida jail after his March arrest on seven charges related to a hit-and-run crash.

3. Brien Taylor, Yankees, 1991: Before ruining his shoulder in an offseason fight in December 1993, Taylor was 19-15 with a 3.02 earned run average in the minors. After, he was 3-15 with an 11.24 ERA. He never reached the majors and was arrested on drug charges in March.

4. David Clyde, Texas, 1973: He was promoted immediately to the majors as a stunt to sell tickets, and Clyde's brief career became a cautionary symbol of the danger of wearing out a young phenom. Others picked in the top five of that draft included the future Hall of Famers Robin Yount and Dave Winfield.

5. Bill Almon, San Diego, 1974: The top pick used to alternate between leagues, and the Padres were so bad that they had it in 1970, 1972 and 1974. All they got to show for it were Mike Ivie, Dave Roberts and Almon, a journeyman taken four spots ahead of Dale Murphy.

6. Bryan Bullington, Pittsburgh, 2002: While other top-10 picks that season, Zack Greinke and Prince Fielder, have become stars, Bullington has just one victory in his major league career, for Kansas City in 2010. He now pitches for the Hiroshima Carp.

7. Danny Goodwin, White Sox, 1971: Angels, 1975: The only player picked first overall twice, Goodwin never played more than 59 games in a season. Mostly a designated hitter, he batted .236 with the Angels, the Twins and the A's from 1975 to 1982.

8. Al Chambers, Seattle, 1979: If the Mariners had to take a high school outfielder from the Northeast, it should have been Andy Van Slyke from Utica, N.Y., who went sixth to St. Louis. Chambers, from Harrisburg, Pa., played just 57 games in his career.

10. Luke Hochevar, Kansas City, 2006: Hochevar, 28, might still have time to develop. But this was a loaded draft, with Evan Longoria, Brandon Morrow, Clayton Kershaw and Tim Lincecum all picked in the top 10.